Restaurant Lan Je, Kota Kemuning

From its humble beginnings in Rawang, Restaurant Lan Je which is famous for its delicious steamed tilapia, has now expanded to many parts of the Klang Valley (Balakong, Kota Damansara, Puchong, USJ Subang, to name a few), and its most recent one is in Kota Kemuning which opened for business in mid July 2013.

Restaurant Lan Je’s menu is simple and limited to several house favourites. The restaurant in Kota Kemuning has its menu posted on the wall with full colour posters.

Their steamed tilapia (RM15 and above, depending on the size of the fish) takes centre stage here. It’s not surprising that most people who eat at Restaurant Lan Je will order a whole fish for each person. It is therefore very common to see numerous plates of the steamed tilapia on one table alone.

Smothered in a thick layer of sauce made from fermented bean paste (tauchu), chopped garlic, ginger and chilli padi, the tilapia is steamed to perfection on porcelain plates. As the tilapia is a cultured freshwater fish, quite often there is a “muddy” taste clinging onto the fish. But at Restaurant Lan Je, there is no hint of muddiness at all in the fish and I believe the timing for steaming the fish is monitored meticulously as the fish comes out smooth, tender and at just the right done-ness. I can easily just have one whole fish with my rice!

Restaurant Lan Je does cater to those who are not so fond of fish. For something with a bit more kick, go for their Deep-fried Spicy Prawns which really pack quite a punch with their thick spicy blend of shallots, garlic, lemongrass and chillies. I like how the sweet and sour elements are perfectly balanced out in this dish, resulting in the fresh prawns being coated in an appetizing gravy that simply begs lots of white rice. Prawns are priced at RM20 per half kg. You can opt for Steamed Prawns if spiciness is not your cup of tea.

For greens, there are several choices but we opted for their Four Angled Beans (RM7/9/11 for small/medium/large portions) stir-fried in a belacan-laden sambal, the aroma of which wafted to our nostrils even before the dish reached our table.

Several chicken dishes are available such as Sweet Sour Chicken and Dried Chillies Chicken – prices are RM8/12/16. Tofu, egg omelettes and cuttlefish cooked in various ways are also mentioned on the board. We tried the Tofu with Small Prawns and were disappointed with its overly-starchy and bland taste. Tofu dishes are at RM8/11/13; cuttlefish at RM8/12/16 and omelettes at RM6/8/10.

I’d just stick to the steamed tilapia and vegetables only… and maybe a prawn dish if I’m feeling generous.

Be warned though – the restaurant gets really packed, especially on weekends.